Bedeviled : a shadow history of demons in science / Jimena Canales.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Canales, Jimena, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Creative ability in science--History.

Creative ability in science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, [2020]

Summary:

"Thought experiments have long been a vital part of the creative, intellectual process in modern science-and, by extension, so have "demons." Demons are hypothetical beings imagined by scientists to perform specific roles within thought experiments-embodying special powers or abilities and personifying tough intellectual challenges or highlighting apparent paradoxes. They are used as a way of exploring what would happen if one fiddled with or upset the sturdiest of physical laws, or experimented with physical or natural processes or phenomena in ways that the scientist imagining them otherwise could not. As such, they help clarify the limits of what is possible in the physical world, or show weaknesses in our understanding of an observable phenomenon, or highlight cracks in a hypothesis or theory. Unencumbered by the physicality of our concrete world, demons are thus useful to scientists in their intellectual quest to understand how nature works, and in the creative exploration of the frontiers of science"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Introduction

1. Descartes’s Evil Genius

2. Laplace’s Intelligence

3. Maxwell’s Demon

4. Brownian Motion Demons

5. Einstein’s Ghosts

6. Quantum Demons

7. Cybernetic Metastable Demons

8. Computer Daemons

9. Biology’s Demons

10. Demons in the Global Economy

Conclusion: The Audacity of Our Imagination

Postscript: Philosophical Considerations

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780691186078

0691186073

OCLC:

1193558713